MPs back move to protect llamas and alpacas from dog attacks

South Wales Guardian

2 days ago

Dog owners already face a fine if their pet attacks or worries farm animals listed in the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, such as cattle, sheep, pigs and horses.
But after a Commons debate, MPs have agreed to add 'camelids' to this list, giving llamas and alpacas in England and Wales similar protections as they have in Scotland.
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill, which now faces further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date, will also see unlimited fines rolled out in dog attack cases, lifting a £1,000 cap.
'They're no laughing matter, alpacas and llamas,' Labour MP Peter Lamb said.
'The Inca empire never developed the wheel.
'The entirety of that empire was built off the back of alpacas and llamas and, as a result, they are an animal that's worthy of great respect.'
Mr Lamb said he had heard of 'pretty harrowing cases of what happened to that livestock' at a centre in Tilgate Park in Crawley, West Sussex, where he was the borough council leader.
'In one case, a sheep was just literally set on fire whilst still alive and while the Bill does not directly deal with that, I think some of the mentality that goes into disrespecting these animals is worthy of note,' he said.
'But what we have done is very often, far more often than that, had dogs set on these animals, or at least, people have not been in control of these.
'And we've eventually had to remove the sheep entirely from the publicly accessible areas on the basis of that.'
Conservative MP for Chester South and Eddisbury Aphra Brandreth, who proposed the private member's Bill, told the Commons: 'Livestock worrying, as we know, has devastating consequences for both animals and farmers.'
She added: 'The damage of a livestock attack can be horrific, causing brutal injuries which are tragically often fatal.
'There are instances of stress causing pregnant livestock to miscarry, and separation of mothers and young leading to hypothermia or starvation.
'I've seen pictures from farmers in my constituency where attacks have mutilated their calves beyond any hope of keeping them alive.
'The consequences, no matter what the scale of an attack, are profound.'
As part of the draft new law, authorities would get the powers to treat attacking livestock as separate to 'worrying', which includes chasing farm animals in a way which could cause injury, suffering or loss or 'diminution in their produce'.
The Bill would also expand the 1953 Act's scope, which applies on agricultural land, to roads and paths, where animals might be herded.
Labour MP Mike Reader praised Ms Brandreth for her 'responsible and balanced approach'.
The Northampton South MP said it was 'positive that this expands that definition to roads and paths, because it sets clear requirements that when someone is accessing land, particularly throughout Northamptonshire where there're so many paths that run through farmland, there's a clear definition in the law to both protect farmers but also to set clear boundaries for those who are perhaps walking their dogs… when they access farmland'.
Environment minister Emma Hardy said the Government was 'fully committed to supporting this important Bill as it progresses through the other place', before the Bill cleared the Commons at third reading.